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THE JUNCKERS CARBON CALCULATOR

The Junckers Carbon Calculator is a screening tool for comparing the reported global warming potential (GWP) of selected, commonly specified flooring products. The comparison is based exclusively on cradle-to-gate data from each product’s environmental product declaration (EPD), covering the initial production stages A1-A3.

What are we comparing?

The results in the Carbon Calculator are based on EPD data for the specific products included in the tool. We compare three lifecycle modules: A1, extraction and processing of raw materials; A2, transport to the production site; and A3, manufacturing.

Other lifecycle stages are not included because comparable data is not consistently available across the EPDs used. The results therefore do not represent the products’ total carbon footprint over their complete lifecycles. Any comparison should be read in conjunction with the EPDs, calculation assumptions and declared or functional units specified in the tool.

 

THE DRIVE FOR NET ZERO CARBON BUILDINGS IS STRONG

Globally the UN Intergovernmental Panel on climate change and the Paris Agreement aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030. Such initiatives requires architects, contractors, self-builders as well as private customers to specify products with low embodied carbon.

2030

Aim to cut Greenhouse gas emissions by 45%

THE PARIS AGREEMENT

To assess a product’s effect upon global warming you need to know the product’s global warming potential (GWP). This is achieved by measuring all greenhouse gases in the material, including carbon dioxide, and expressing this as a “carbon dioxide equivalent”, CO2e. The greenhouse gases that are generated by extracting, transporting and processing of raw materials, and manufacturing the finished product are used to calculate the product’s GWP, and this is included in the product’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). 

The Junckers carbon calculator uses publicly available data and draws a simple picture of which materials we can use with no or little worry and those we should leave out if we want to build a greener world. 

HOW DID WE WORK IT OUT?

We hope you find our carbon footprint calculator useful. Please see below for more information. If you do not find the answer you are looking for, please get in touch.

Our Carbon Calculator is intended to help you compare the carbon footprint of different flooring solutions. The calculator tool is designed for architects, contractors, self-builders as well as homeowners with the aim to highlight the CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) impact of different materials.  

Junckers aims to make wood a first-choice material – it has many benefits when sourced and managed properly. Renewability: Wood is a renewable resource, meaning it can be replenished naturally over time. Forest management can support regeneration through replanting or natural regrowth and measures to maintain forest cover. Carbon Sequestration: Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, storing carbon in their biomass. This carbon remains stored in the wood during the product’s lifetime. Energy Efficiency: The energy required to produce and process wood depends on the product and manufacturing process.

CO2e, or carbon dioxide equivalent, is a way of measuring the impact of different greenhouse gases on global warming. It takes into account that some gases, like methane or nitrous oxide, are much more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. By converting the impact of these gases to the equivalent amount of CO2, we get a single number that represents their overall contribution to global warming, making it easier to compare and manage them.

To calculate the footprint for each floor type we used publicly available data based on Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). An EPD is an independently verified and registered document that communicates not only what a product is made of, but the manufacturing process and its impact on the environment. The results for the Carbon Calculator tool are based upon data from specific EPDs that measure the global warming potential (GWP) for the products, rather than using generic or theoretical data. Data is taken from the raw material and manufacturing stages for each product.

Our Carbon Calculator is based on the following list of EPDs and data from cradle-to-gate, including product stage A1: Extraction and processing of raw materials, A2: Transport to the production site and A3: Manufacturing processes
Results for Group 13 and 14 (22mm Beech, Ash, and Maple 2-strip flooring; lacquer 1 and 2 surface treatment)

  • Plank: No.: MD-19008-EN. ECO EPD: 00001140. Issued: 28-02-2020, variant 20.5mm Oak (Oak 20,5 x 185mm)
  • Engineered: No.: S-P-01509. ECO EPD: 00000906. Issued: 23-07-2020, variant 22mm oak
  • Carpet: No.: S-P-01825. Issued: 2020-02-03, variant 6.5mm tiles
  • Vinyl: No.: S-P-01350 - iD Inspiration Click Solid and iD Inspiration Click High Traffic from TARKETT
  • Laminate: No.: EPD-SCP-20200238-IBC1-DE. Issue date 2020-12-01, variant 8mm panels
  • Thin-set Epoxy Terrazzo Flooring System: EPD10317 Issued: 20-12-2019, TRACI Results

GWP, or Global Warming Potential, is a measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere over a specific period, usually 100 years, compared to carbon dioxide (CO2). It helps us understand and compare the impact of different gases on global warming. For example, if a gas has a GWP of 25, it means that over 100 years, one tonne of that gas would warm the Earth 25 times more than one tonne of CO2.

Junckers solid hardwood floors provide the greatest reduction in carbon levels among all the floor types shown in the Carbon Calculator. But there is more to consider. Even though engineered and laminate floors are carbon negative, their lifespan is significantly less than that of solid hardwood floors, thereby placing a greater burden upon raw material resources and disposal. Floor types such as carpet, vinyl and LVT not only add carbon to the atmosphere, their lifespans are also shorter than solid hardwood. Many manufacturers use carbon offsetting in their environmental policies, and often their products cannot effectively be recycled.

Products based on natural raw materials such as wood are made by the natural process called photosynthesis, based on three very simple building blocks: water from the earth (H2O), carbon dioxide from the air (CO2) and light from the sun. The growth of a tree requires nothing but natural processes.

At the same time, wood absorbs CO2, i.e. removes CO2 from the atmosphere, and although greenhouse gas emissions must be added for wood cutting, transportation to the factory and production processes, a finished product, considered from cradle to gate, can in some cases remove more CO2 from the air than it emits. This means that the CO2 value will be negative. However, it is important to remember that it is currently only the first stages of the product life cycle that are included in the calculations. If end of life values were to be included, the result would be different depending on whether the wood would be burned for energy recovery or reused elsewere.

CERTIFICATES AND BUILDING SCHEMES

Even though Junckers has worked with environmental management and product documentation for many years, having the right company policies and practices is not enough. We recognise the need to provide independent evidence to clients and designers. We hold FSC® and PEFC Chain of Custody certifications and ISO 14001 certification. We have also had independent product testing carried out for VOC emissions from relevant products under CDPH standards and the Danish Indoor Climate Label scheme and have completed EPDs for selected floors. This documentation is an important tool for designers assessing building projects under BREEAM, LEED, WELL and DGNB. Its relevance depends on the selected product, project and individual scheme criteria.

 
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